Cat Geometry and Personalities

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Have you ever wondered if the shape of your cats’ face tells something about their personalities?

Maine Coon Cat

For pedigreed (pure bred) cats, each breed carries certain temperament though the dispositions of each cat vary slightly within the breed. Kit Jenkins, Program Manager for Petsmart has come up with an interesting theory based on her 20 years of studies on the behavior of cats and dogs at the animal shelters – you may be able to generalize a cat’s personality traits by the shape of his face.

The theory is dubbed the Theory of Cat Face Geometry. In general, there are 3 distinctive shapes for cat faces : square, round, and triangle.

Though genetic factors and life experiences also play a crucial role in determining a cat’s personality, Jenkins believes that there is an association between a cat’s personality and its physical shape.

Square – the retrievers of the cat world:

Cats with a square face are generally built with a rectangular and large body. They enjoy chasing and retrieving objects and would be a great partner to play fetch with. Square face cats are affectionate and love to please and snuggle with their owners. They are friendly and social cats that enjoy giving head-bumps. [Maine Coon Cat]

Exotic Cat

Round – the lap dogs:

These cats’ faces are round and flat, attached with large, round eyes. Their bodies are circular. They are the best lap cats that enjoy

lounging around all day or snoozing off on your lap for hours. They may be slightly timid and submissive, but they are truly affectionate and extremely trusting to their human family. Think Persian.

Triangular – the herding dogs of the cat world:

These cats have a triangular shaped face. Their bodies appear to be slender, lean and long with big pointy ears and narrow face from nose down. They are smart, curious, vocal and very active around the house. Think Siamese or Cornish Rex.

I have 3 cats in the house. Let’s analyze their faces:

Siamese

Flip: a square face. He is a bona fide retriever who loves playing fetch with a passion. He is extremely affectionate around me, but he can be a little timid towards men sometimes.

Jackie: a wedge face. His face is between a round and square face. He is hands-down a lap cat, loves attention, and a bit lazy. His laid back personality and body shape fit the round face profile perfectly, but he is extremely sociable and can get along with virtually any cats.

Shadow: a typical triangular face. He is definitely an athlete in the house. As long as he sees the laser pointer, he is in the game. He loves to give kisses and craves for our attention. He is our first alarm clock every morning at 7am, reminding us that “Iz tiem 4 breakfist!”. He is very smart and somewhat vocal about what he wants. It seems to fit the description of the triangular cats pretty well.